Shunt thermocouple

ABSTRACT

A thermocouple device includes a shared conductor for a shunt measurement and a thermocouple measurement. For example, the thermocouple device may include a shared conductor that provides a signal to both calculate current of a shunt and calculate a temperature of the shunt. The thermocouple device may provide an efficient structure that accurately calculates current and temperature. In addition, the thermocouple device may use the temperature of the shunt to detect when a conductive path is overheating. The temperature of the shunt may also be used for other purposes.

BACKGROUND

Shunts are used in various industries to measure current. For example,in the utility context, a shunt may be placed in a meter to measurecurrent that is consumed at a facility where the meter is located. Theshunt is often a single piece of copper or another material. Inparticular, the shunt may be a uniform piece of copper that forms aU-shape, with the ends of the shunt being connected to a socket at thefacility. Due to the U-shape of the shunt, current flow through theshunt is non-uniform (e.g., current flow lines of equipotential are notuniform at the corners). This leads to inaccurate current measurements.Furthermore, temperature changes at the shunt affect the resistance ofthe shunt, which further decreases the accuracy of the currentmeasurements. As such, shunts have been used in low accuracyimplementations that are associated with relatively few Amperes. Forexample, shunts are used in meter implementations that reach a maximumof 100 Amperes and that provide a relatively broad tolerance of error incurrent measurements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example shunt having at least one conductivechannel that provides a uniform flow of current.

FIG. 2A illustrates a front view of the example shunt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B illustrates a top view of the example shunt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2C illustrates a side view of the example shunt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example shunt with protrusions that extend offterminals.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example shunt with stand-alone components thatform conductive channels to a shunt bus.

FIG. 4A illustrates example connection points that include pins andhalf-shear buttons.

FIG. 4B illustrates example connection points with pins removed.

FIG. 5A illustrates example connection points with conductors.

FIG. 5B illustrates example connection points without conductors.

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of an example shunt with aconnecting element.

FIG. 6B illustrates a front view of an example shunt with a connectingelement.

FIG. 6C illustrates a top view of an example shunt with a connectingelement.

FIG. 7A illustrates a front view of an example shunt with oval-shapedconductive channels.

FIG. 7B illustrates a side view of an example shunt with oval-shapedconductive channels.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example thermocouple system.

FIG. 9A illustrates a perspective view of an example meter with shuntslocated within the meter.

FIG. 9B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the example meter of FIG.9A.

FIG. 10A illustrates current flow lines for a shunt in related art.

FIG. 10B illustrates current flow lines for an example shunt describedherein.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for employing techniquesdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes a shunt that is composed of multiple pieceswith at least some of the pieces being connected by a conductive channelthat provides uniform flow of current. The conductive channel may be arecess, raised portion, stand-alone component, or other channel thatdirects current to flow from one piece of the shunt to another piece ina uniform manner, resulting in an accurate current reading for theshunt. Further, the shunt may include multiple pieces that are composedof different materials, which may vary in price. By doing so, a cost ofthe shunt may be minimized.

In some examples, a shunt includes a shunt bus disposed between two ormore terminals that are adapted to connect to a conductive path. Forexample, the conductive path may include a meter socket located at afacility where electricity consumption is monitored. Here, the shunt mayform at least part of the conductive path to allow current to flow fromone jaw of the meter socket that is connected to a first terminal,through the shunt bus and to the other jaw of the meter socket that isconnected to the second terminal. The shunt bus may be electricallyconnected to a first terminal of the shunt via a protrusion (e.g., araised portion) that is located on the shut bus or the first terminal,or may be provided as a separate component. In some instances, theprotrusion may be elliptical in shape (e.g., a circle, oval, etc.). Inother instances, the protrusion may have other shapes, such as arectangle, triangle, etc. The shunt bus may also be electricallyconnected to a second terminal of the shunt, either directly or throughanother component, such as a switch.

To provide a current reading, the shunt may include a shunt elementdisposed along the shunt bus between the first and second terminals. Insome instances, the shunt element is offset toward one side of the shunt(e.g., the first or second terminal), while in other instances the shuntelement is located elsewhere along the shunt bus. The shunt elementcomprises a resistive element that provides a voltage drop. Such voltagedrop may be measured and used to derive an amount of current flowingthrough the shunt.

Although the above example describes a shunt with a protrusion betweenthe first terminal and the shunt bus, a protrusion may additionally, oralternatively, be provided between other components of the shut. Forexample, a protrusion may be located between the shunt bus and thesecond terminal, between the shunt bus and a connecting element thatacts as an intermediate component between the shunt bus and the secondterminal, and/or between other components of the shunt.

The shunt described herein may provide uniform current flow, resultingin an accurate measurement of current through the shunt. For example, aprotrusion that connects a first terminal to a shunt bus may provide asingle connection point for current to uniformly flow from the firstterminal to the shunt bus where the shunt element is located. This mayresult in current flow lines of equipotential being more uniform nearthe shunt element, in comparison to previous U-shaped shunts thatprovide non-uniform current flow at the corners and the shunt element.Thus, a more accurate voltage reading for the shunt element may be madeand, consequently, a more accurate current measurement. Further, theprotrusion may be particularly useful in implementations where the shuntelement is offset toward a terminal (e.g., due to other components beingpositioned between the first and second terminals). In suchimplementations, the protrusion may allow current to flow uniformlythrough the shunt element, even though the shunt element is locatedwithin proximity (e.g., predetermined distance) to a connection point toa terminal.

In addition, by using a shunt that includes multiple pieces, a cost ofproducing the shunt may be minimized. For example, the shunt may be madeof a shunt bus that is composed of a first material and terminals thatare composed of a different material, such as a less expensive (or moreexpensive) material. This may reduce costs of producing the shunt, incomparison to previous shunts that are composed of a single piece ofmaterial.

This disclosure also describes a thermocouple device that includes ashared conductor for a shunt measurement and a thermocouple measurement.In many instances, a calculation of an amount of current through a shuntmay be affected by the temperature of the shunt, which may be due tometer load, ambient temperature, and so on. Thus, the temperature of theshunt may be measured to compensate for inaccuracies of the currentcalculation. The thermocouple device described herein may include ashared conductor that provides a signal to both calculate current of ashunt and calculate a temperature of the shunt. The thermocouple devicemay provide an efficient structure that accurately calculates currentand temperature. In addition, the thermocouple device may use thetemperature of the shunt to detect a “hot socket” condition where aconductive path, such as a socket, is overheating. The temperature ofthe shunt may also be used for other purposes.

In some examples, a thermocouple device includes a reference conductorconnected to a first side of a shunt, a sensing conductor connected to asecond side of the shunt, and a thermocouple conductor connected to thefirst side of the shunt. The reference conductor and the thermocoupleconductor may create a thermocouple to measure temperature of the shunt,while the reference conductor and the sensing conductor may be used tomeasure current through the shunt. In particular, the referenceconductor, the sensing conductor, and the thermocouple conductor may beconnected to one or more hardware components, such as one or moreprocessors, Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and so on.The one or more hardware components may determine a temperature of theshunt based on a signal from the reference conductor and a signal fromthe thermocouple conductor. Further, the one or more hardware componentsmay determine an amount of current passing through the shunt based onthe signal from the reference conductor and a signal from the sensingconductor. The one or more hardware components may also use thetemperature of the shunt to determine the amount of current. That is,the temperature of the shunt may be used to adjust a current measurementfor the shunt, thereby leading to an accurate current measurement forthe shunt.

In some examples, the thermocouple device may use the temperature of theshunt to determine a condition referred to as a “hot socket.” In someinstances, a socket that is connected to a shunt may overheat, due to aloose connection between the socket and the shunt, a short circuit, andso on. As such, the thermocouple device described herein may determinethe temperature of the shunt and use the temperature to determine when a“hot socket” is occurring at the socket. In particular, the one or morehardware components of the thermocouple device may detect that atemperature of the shunt is greater than a threshold. Based on thedetection, the one or more hardware components may send an alertindicating the “hot socket” condition. For example, the alert may besent to a service provider computing device associated with a utility(e.g., a central office of the utility), a computing device associatedwith a technician performing maintenance on the thermocouple device, acomputing device associated with a customer, and so on. The alert mayallow the party or entity to remove the shunt from the socket, stopcurrent flow through the shunt, stop current flow through the socket,and/or perform a variety of other operations. This may avoid the socket,shunt, meter, and/or other components from being damaged (e.g., melting,igniting, etc.).

The thermocouple device described herein may provide an efficientstructure that accurately calculates current and temperature of a shunt.For example, the thermocouple device may include a shared conductor fora shunt measurement and a thermocouple measurement. This may minimizecosts for producing a structure that compensates for temperature of theshunt. In addition, by using a structure that is connected directly tothe shunt to determine a temperature of the shunt, an accuratetemperature reading may be made. Further, by obtaining a temperaturereading for a component that is connected to a socket (i.e., the shunt),a “hot socket” condition may be more accurately and quickly detected, incomparison to previous techniques that used a temperature reading atanother location farther from the socket. This may ultimately avoiddamage to the socket, shunt, meter, and/or other components.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example shunt 100 having at least one conductivechannel that provides a uniform flow of current. In particular, theshunt 100 includes a shunt bus 102 electrically connected to a firstterminal 104 at a first end of the shunt bus 102 and electricallyconnected to a second terminal 106 at a second end of the shunt bus 102.The first and second terminals 104 and 106 may be adapted toelectrically connect to a conductive path, such as an electrical socket(e.g., receptacle). For instance, the first and second terminals 104 and106 may connect to jaws of a meter socket that is located at aresidence. The meter socket may form a conductive path at the residence.In this example, the shunt bus 102 includes protrusions 108 and 110 thatextend from the shunt bus 102. The protrusions 108 and 110 may beelectrically connected to the first and second terminals 104 and 106,respectively. The shunt bus 102 also includes a shunt element 112disposed between the protrusions 108 and 110. Further, the shunt bus 102includes a connection point 114 positioned on one side of the shuntelement 112 and a connection point 116 positioned on the other side ofthe shunt element 112. The connection points 114 and 116 connect toconductors (not illustrated in FIG. 1) to measure current passingthrough the shunt element 112 and/or a temperature of the shunt 100.Example connection points are discussed in further detail below inreference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In the example of FIG. 1, the shunt bus 102, the first terminal 104,and/or the second terminal 106 are elongated members. An elongatedmember may have a length that is longer than a width (in some instances,by more than a particular amount). The shunt bus 102 may substantiallyperpendicular to the first terminal 104 and/or the second terminal 106.Substantially perpendicular may refer to the components having between a45-degree angle and a 135-degree angle with respect to each other. Insome instances, the components may form a 90-degree angle with respectto each other with plus or minus 5 degrees. Although in other instances,the shunt bus 102 may not be substantially perpendicular to the firstterminal 104 and/or the second terminal 106.

In the example of FIG. 1, the shunt bus 102 is offset closer to thefirst terminal 104 than the second terminal 106. That is, the shunt bus102 is connected to the first terminal 104 closer to a right side of thefirst terminal 104, and is connected to the second terminal 106 closerto the right side of the second terminal 106 (e.g., a side of the secondterminal 106 that is closest to the first terminal 104). This may allowother components to be connected to the shunt bus 102 (as discussedbelow in reference to FIG. 6) and/or other components to be providedbetween the first and second terminals 104 and 106. Further, the offsetmay conserve material of the shunt bus 102 (at least with respect to theleft side of the shunt bus 102, since it does not extend as far over thesecond terminal 106). When the shunt bus 102 is offset to the right, theshunt element 112 may be positioned above the left side of the firstterminal 104. Although in other examples, the shunt bus 102 may becentered, offset to the left, or otherwise positioned.

In many examples, the shunt bus 102 is composed of a different materialthan the first terminal 104 and/or the second terminal 106. In oneillustration, the first and second terminals 104 and 106 are composed ofnearly 100% copper (Cu) (e.g., 98-100% copper), and are also tin (Sn)plated. The shunt bus 102 may include a first portion composed of copper(e.g., a portion of the shunt bus 102 to the left of the shunt element112 in FIG. 1), the shunt element 112 composed of a different materialthan the rest of the shunt bus 102 (as discussed below), and a secondportion composed of copper (e.g., a portion of the shunt bus 102 to theright of the shunt element 112 in FIG. 1). This composition for theshunt bus 102 tends to be more expensive (3-4 times) to manufacture thanbasic Cu, due to the process cost of joining the shunt element 112 tothe shunt bus 102 (e.g., typically Electron Beam welding). In someinstances, the first and second terminals 104 and 106 are tin plated tomeet certain standards as well as certain design criteria, but the shuntbus 102 and/or the shunt element 112 are not tin plated. In previoustechniques, a shunt manufacturing process included constructing theentire part of a “sandwich” feedstock (e.g., manufactured coppercomposition), and then selectively plating terminal sections with tin.This added a plating process in a non-ideal sequence of manufacture.Further, in some instances if tin is placed on a shunt bus or a shuntelement, this may short or change the resistance of the shunt element(e.g., cause undesirable results). In many instances, by using multiplepieces (that may be composed of different types of materials), thetechniques of this disclosure allow a shunt to be manufactured in a moreefficient manner, which may reduce costs.

In other illustrations, the shunt bus 102, the first terminal 104,and/or the second terminal 106 may be composed of other types ofmaterials or the same material. The shunt bus 102, the first terminal104, and/or the second terminal 106 may be composed of any type ofelectrically conductive material. In many instances, the shunt bus 102may be composed of a material that is more expensive than a material ofthe first terminal 104 and/or the second terminal 106. Although in otherillustrations, such relationship may be swapped. Further, in otherillustrations the shunt bus 102, the first terminal 104, and/or thesecond terminal 106 may be composed of other types of conductivematerial, such as other metals (e.g., aluminum, alloy, etc.).

As discussed above, the shunt bus 102 may include the shunt element 112.The shunt element 112 may be a resistive element to provide a voltagedrop across the shunt element 112 when the shunt 100 is connected to anelectricity source. For instance, when the first and second terminals104 and 106 are connected to a meter socket at a facility, such as acustomer's residence, current may flow through the shunt 100 and voltagemay drop across the shunt element 112, due to the resistive propertiesof the shunt element 112. Since the resistance of the shunt element 112is known, and the voltage drop across the shunt element 112 may bemeasured, the current flowing through the shunt element 112 may becalculated according to Ohm's law. In the example of FIG. 1, current mayenter through the first terminal 104, pass through the protrusion 108 tothe shunt bus 102, pass from the shunt bus 102 to the second terminal106 through the protrusion 110, and exit through the second terminal106. As such, the first terminal 104, the protrusion 108, the shunt bus102, the protrusion 110, and the second terminal 106 may form aconductive path from a first jaw of the meter socket to a second jaw ofthe meter socket, for example. The shunt element 112 may be formed ofany material. In many instances, the shunt element 112 is composed of amaterial that is more resistive than a material of the shunt bus 102(e.g., 40 times more resistive than the copper of the shunt bus 102). Inone example, the shunt element 112 is composed of Manganin®. In anotherexample, the shunt element 112 is composed of constantan or nichrome. Inother examples, other types of materials are used.

The shunt element 112 may be positioned anywhere along the shunt bus102. In some instances, the shunt element 112 is offset toward one sideof the shunt bus 102. In the example of FIG. 1, the shunt bus ispositioned closer to the first terminal 104 (and the protrusion 108)than the second terminal 106. This may allow other components to beconnected to the shunt bus 102 (as discussed below in reference to FIG.6) and/or other components to be provided between the first and secondterminals 104 and 106. In the example of FIG. 1, the shunt element ispositioned over the first terminal 104 (e.g., above the first terminal104). In other examples, the shunt element 112 is positioned elsewhere,such as in the middle of the shunt bus 102 or offset toward the secondterminal 106.

The protrusions 108 and 110 provide conductive channels for current toflow, as noted above. The protrusions 108 and 110 may generally createdistance between the respective terminal and protrusion, so that currentflows through the protrusion. This distance is illustrated in furtherdetail in FIGS. 2 and 3. The protrusions 108 and 110 may provideconnection points from the shunt bus 102 to the terminals 104 and 106,respectively. For example, the protrusion 108 may provide a singleconnection point between the first terminal 104 and the shunt bus 102(e.g., the protrusion 108 may be the only connection point between thosetwo components).

FIG. 1 shows the indentation side of the protrusions 108 and 110 (i.e.,a front side of the shunt 100). That is, the protrusions 108 and 110extend from the shunt bus 102 on a back side of the shunt bus 102, asillustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 1, the protrusions 108 and 110 appear asrecesses (e.g., dimples), since the front side of the shunt 100 isshown. Thus, depending on the perspective of view, the protrusions 108and 110 may also be referred to as recesses, raised portions, or moregenerally conductive channels. Further, as discussed in other examplesherein, the protrusions 108 and/or 110 may alternatively, oradditionally, be provided on the first and second terminals 104 and/or106, as stand-alone components, and/or as part of a different component.

The protrusions 108 and 110 (as well as any other conductive channelsdiscussed herein) may take on various forms. In the example of FIG. 1,the protrusions 108 and 110 are circular (i.e., circles). However, theprotrusions 108 and 110 may be ovals, rectangles, triangles, squares,trapezoids, or any other shape. The protrusions 108 and 110 may take onthe same form (e.g., shape, height, width, depth, etc.) or differentforms. The protrusions 108 and 110 may be formed by stamping, embossing,carving, casting, molding, punching, and so on. The protrusions 108 and110 may be formed in the same manner or different manners.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the shunt 100 may also include othercomponents. For instances, the shunt 100 may include tabs 118 to attachto components of a meter or another device in which the shunt 100 isimplemented. Additionally, or alternatively, the tabs 118 may facilitateconnection to a socket, such as a meter socket. Further, the tabs 118may be used for positioning the shunt 100 in the meter itself. Sections120 of the shunt 100 illustrate the portions of the first and secondterminals 104 and 106 that are inserted into a socket. The first andsecond terminals 104 and 106 may be adapted to fit various forms of asocket. Further, the shunt 100 may include holes 122, which may be usedfor manufacturing the shunt 100, attaching the shunt 100 to a meter oranother device, and so on. Other means may additionally, oralternatively, be used to determine the depth of terminal insertion intothe socket jaws.

The components of the shunt 100 may be connected through variousmanners. For example, the components may be brazed, soldered, welded,glued (e.g., with a conductive glue), heated together, connected with anadhesive (e.g., a conductive adhesive), or otherwise joined together. Insome instances, a conductive filler (e.g., a metal) is applied betweencomponents to make a connection, while in other instances the componentsmay be directly attached to each other. To illustrate, the firstterminal 104 may be brazed to the shunt bus 102 at the protrusion 108with a filler metal being applied to the connection point (e.g., theprotrusion 108).

The components of the shunt 100 may be directly or indirectly connected.The terms “connected” or “electrically connected” may refer tocomponents directly contacting each other or indirectly contacting eachother, such as through a conductive filler and/or an intermediarycomponent (e.g., a switch, as shown in FIG. 6). In one example, if thefirst terminal 104 is brazed to the shunt bus 102 at the protrusion 108with a filler metal applied between the components, the first terminal104 may be referred to as being connected or electrically connected tothe shunt bus 102. Here, an electrically conductive path is formedbetween the first terminal 104 and the shunt bus 102. In anotherexample, the first terminal 104 may be connected to the shunt bus 102via a spacer (e.g., a washer). Here, the first terminal 104 may maintaincontact with the spacer and the shunt bus 102 may maintain contact withthe spacer through a fastener (e.g., a rivet, screw, etc.) that holdsthe components together. In contrast, the phrases “directly connected”or “directly attached” may refer to components directly contacting toeach other (e.g., without a metal filler and/or an intermediarycomponent). For example, the first terminal 104 may, in some instances,be directedly attached to the shunt bus 102 through a fastener.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate a front view, top view, and side view ofthe example shunt 100 of FIG. 1, respectively.

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate the shunt 100 in exploded views with theshunt bus 102 being detached from the first and second terminals 104 and106. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, a surface 202 of the protrusion108 is removed from contacting a surface 204 of the first terminal 104.Other example shunts in connected forms are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, asdiscussed below.

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate that the protrusions 108 and 110 extend offthe back side of the shunt bus 102 a distance 202. The distance 202 maybe a predetermined distance, in some examples. The distance 202 may bereferred to as a depth of the protrusions 108 and 110. The distance 202for the protrusions 108 and 110 may be the same or different. In otherwords, the protrusion 108 may extend off the back side of the shunt bus102 and the protrusion 110 may extend off the back side of the shunt busthe same distance or different distances. As illustrated, theprotrusions 108 and 110 create raised connection points (also referredto as conductive channels) for the shunt bus 102 to connect to the firstand second terminals 104 and 106, respectively.

FIG. 3A illustrates the example shunt 100 with protrusions 302 and 304that extend off the first and second terminals 104 and 106,respectively. FIG. 3A represents an exploded view, with the first andsecond terminals 104 and 106 being separated from the shunt bus 102. Inthis example, the protrusions 302 and 304 form the conductive channelsto connect the first and second terminals 104 and 106 to the shunt bus102, respectively. The protrusions 302 and 304 may be the same as theprotrusions 108 and 110, except that the protrusions 302 and 304 arepart of the first and second terminals 104 and 106, instead of part ofthe shunt bus 102. In this example, the protrusions 108 and 110 thatextended off the shunt bus 102 (as illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C, forexample) have been removed. Although in other examples the protrusions108 and 110 may remain and attach to the protrusions 302 and 304,respectively.

FIG. 3B illustrates the example shunt 100 with stand-alone components306 and 308 that form conductive channels to the shunt bus 102. FIG. 3Brepresents an exploded view, with the first and second terminals 104 and106 being separated from the shunt bus 102 and the stand-alonecomponents 306 and 308. The stand-alone components 306 and 308 may beformed of any type of conductive material. The stand-alone components306 and 308 may be attached to the first and second terminals 104 and106, respectively, and/or attached to the shunt bus 102 through variousmanners, such as brazing, soldering, welding, gluing (e.g., with aconductive glue), heating together, using an adhesive (e.g., aconductive adhesive), and so on.

The protrusions 302 and 304 and/or the stand-alone components 306 and308 may take on various forms (e.g., shapes, heights, widths, depths,etc.), as similarly discussed above with respect to the protrusions 108and 110. The protrusions 302 and 304 and/or the stand-alone components306 and 308 may be formed by stamping, embossing, carving, casting,molding, punching, and so on. The protrusions 302 and 304 and/or thestand-alone components 306 and 308 may be formed in the same manner ordifferent manners.

FIG. 4A illustrates example connection points 402 that include pins402(A)-402(C) and half-shear buttons 402(D) and 402(E). The pins402(A)-402(C) may be collectively referred to as a pin assembly. Inparticular, the half-shear button 402(D) is positioned on a first sideof the shunt element 404, while the half-shear button 402(E) ispositioned on a second side of the shunt element 404. The half-shearbutton 402(D) may connect to pins 402(A) and 402(B), while thehalf-shear button 402(E) may connect to the pin 402(C). As such, thehalf-shear button 402(D) and the pins 402(A) and 402(B) may form a firstconnection point to the shunt bus 406, while the half-shear button402(E) and the pin 402(C) may form a second connection point to theshunt bus 406.

The connection points 402 may connect to conductors (not illustrated inFIGS. 4A and 4B) to measure current passing through a shunt element 404and/or a temperature of a shunt bus 406. The conductors may be wires,leads, conductive traces (e.g., Printed-Circuit Board (PCB) traces,etc.), bus bars, and so on. As discussed in further detail below, thepin 402(A) (or the pin 402(B)) may be connected to a referenceconductor, the pin 402(B) (or the pin 402(A)) may be connected to athermocouple conductor, and the pin 402(C) may be connected to a sensingconductor. As such, a signal from the reference conductor and a signalfrom the thermocouple conductor may be used to determine a temperatureof the shunt bus 406, while a signal from the reference conductor and asignal from the sensing conductor may be used to determine currentflowing through the shunt element 404.

As illustrated, the connection points 402 are positioned withinproximity (e.g., a predetermined distance) to a conductive channel 408.In this example, the conductive channel 408 comprises a protrusion onthe shunt bus 406. The half-shear button 402(D) is positioned closer tothe conductive channel 408 than the half shear button 402(E). In thisexample, current may flow though the conductive channel 408 into theshunt bus 406 and then through the shunt element 404 (e.g., in aleft-to-right manner with respect to FIGS. 4A and 4B). Although in otherexamples, the current may flow in the opposite direction.

As noted above, in the example of FIGS. 4A and 4B a path of currentthrough the shunt element 404 is defined from left-to-right. This pathcorresponds to a first direction. Further, the half-shear button 402(D)and/or the half-shear button 402(E) are positioned in substantially acenter of the shunt bus 406 in a second direction (e.g., a verticalaxis) that is perpendicular to the first direction.

FIG. 4B illustrates the example connection points 402 with the pins402(A)-402(C) removed. That is, FIG. 4B illustrates the half-shearbuttons 402(D) and 402(E) without the pins 402(A)-402(C).

Although FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the connection points 402 positionedon the shunt bus 406, in other examples the connection points 402 may bepositioned on the shunt element 404. For example, the half-shear buttons402(D) and 402(E) may be located on the shunt element 404, such as onopposite sides of the shunt element 404.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate example connection points 502 and 504 thatrepresent insulation displacement connection. In this example, theconnection points 502 and 504 may connect to a shunt bus 506 ondifferent sides of a shunt element 508. The connection points 502 and504 may be configured to receive conductors 510 (e.g., wires, leads,traces, etc.) to measure current passing through the shunt element 508and/or a temperature of the shunt bus 506. In one example, the conductor510(A) may comprise a thermocouple conductor, the conductor 510(B) maycomprise a reference conductor, and the conductor 510(C) may comprise asensing conductor. Although other arrangements of the conductors 510 maybe implemented.

The connection point 502 may include a connecting member 502(A)connected to the shunt bus 506 and receiving members 502(B) configuredto receive the conductors 510(A) and 510(B). Meanwhile, the connectionpoint 504 may include a connecting member 504(A) connected to the shuntbus 506 and receiving members 504(B) configured to receive the conductor510(C). The conductors 510 may connect to the receiving members 502(B)and 504(B) in various manners, such as through friction, an adhesive,soldering, brazing, welding, gluing, and so on.

The connection points 502 and 504 may be separate components that areinsulated from each other through insulation 512. The insulation 512 maybe non-conductive. As such, the connection point 502 may connect to afirst side of the shunt element 508, while the connection point 504separately connects to a second side of the shunt element 508.

Although FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the connection points 502 and 504positioned on the shunt bus 506, in other examples the connection points502 and 504 may be positioned on the shunt element 508. For example, theconnecting member 504(A) may be located on the shunt element 508 on oneside and the connecting member 502(A) may be located on the shuntelement 508 on the other side.

In some instances, the distance between the half shear buttons 402(D)and 402(E), or connecting members 504(A) and 502(A), are held to a tighttolerance (e.g., within a particular amount) in order to avoidcalibrating a temperature error correction. For example, the tolerancemay be relatively tight (within a particular amount) when the half shearbuttons 402(D) and 402(E) or connecting members 504(A) and 502(A) arelocated beyond a shunt element (e.g., not on the shunt element), ratherthan on the shunt element. However, in some instances when the halfshear buttons 402(D) and 402(E) or connecting members 504(A) and 502(A)are located on the shunt element, this may affect the generalcalibration range, and so the tolerance (e.g., distance) may still bemaintained to be relatively tight.

Further, although examples connection points are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5with specific structural components, in some instances conductors mayconnect to any location on a shunt bus and/or shunt element. Forexample, conductors may be attached directly to a shunt bus viasoldering, brazing, welding, an adhesive, a fastener, gluing, and so on.In such examples, a location where a conductor is attached to the shuntbus comprises a connection point.

FIGS. 6A-6C shows an example shunt 600 with a connecting element 602.The shunt 600 includes a shunt bus 604 connected, at a first end of theshunt bus 604, to a first terminal 606 via a protrusion 608. The shuntbus 604 is also connected, at a second end of the shunt bus 604, to afirst end of the connecting element 602 via fasteners 610, such asrivets, screws, etc. The connecting element 602 is connected, at asecond end of the connecting element 602, to a second terminal 612 viafasteners 614, such as rivets, screws, etc. As such, the shunt bus 604is electrically connected to the second terminal 612 via the connectingelement 602. Although fasteners 610 and 614 are used in this example,the components may be connected in other manners, such as by soldering,welding, brazing, using an adhesive, gluing, etc.

In this example, the connecting element 602 comprises a switchconfigured to open or close a conductive path of the shunt 600. That is,the switch may open or close a conductive path between the shunt bus 604and the second terminal 612. Here, current generally flows in throughthe first terminal 606, through the shunt bus 604, then through theconnecting element 602, and out the second terminal 612. In one example,a switch may be implemented as that described in U.S. Pat. No.8,395,464, which is incorporated herein by reference. In anotherexample, other types of switches may be used. FIG. 6 shows the shunt 600in a form in which the shunt 600 may generally be implemented (e.g., ina closed form where current can pass through the shunt 600). In otherexamples, other types of connecting elements may be used instead of theswitch.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrates that the shunt bus 604 being connected to thefirst terminal 606 in an offset manner. In other words, the shunt bus604 is connected to the first terminal 606 at a side of the firstterminal 606 (e.g., left side) that is farthest from the second terminal612. Such side of the first terminal 606 is represented in FIG. 6B tothe left of a center line 616. The shunt bus 604 is connected to asubstantially planar surface of the first terminal 606. Further, asillustrated, the shunt bus 604 includes a shunt element 618 that isoffset to one side of the shunt 600 (e.g., to the left). Here, the shuntelement 618 is above a side of the first terminal 606 that is closest tothe second terminal 612 (e.g., a side of the first terminal 606 to aright of the center line 616). By offsetting the shunt bus 604 and/orthe shunt element 618 to the left, the connecting element 602 may bepositioned between the first terminal 606 and the second terminal 612.

Although the shunt 600 is illustrated as being offset in FIGS. 6A-6C tothe left, in other examples the shunt bus 604 and/or the shunt element618 may be offset to the right. In such examples, the shunt bus 604 andthe connecting element 602 may be swapped so that the shunt bus 604connects directly to the second terminal 612 and the connecting element602 connects directly to the first terminal 606.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrates an example shunt 700 with oval-shapedconductive channels 702. FIG. 7A illustrates a front view of the shunt700, while FIG. 7B illustrates a side view of the shunt 700. Here, theconductive channels 700 are protrusions that extend off a shunt bus 704.The shunt 700 may include a similar structure as the shunt 100 discussedabove with respect to FIG. 1, except that the shunt 700 includesoval-shaped protrusions 702, instead of circle-shaped protrusions (theprotrusions 108 and 110).

In this example, the shunt bus 704 is offset to the right. Inparticular, the shunt bus 704 is connected to a substantially planarsurface 706 of a first terminal 708 at a side of the first terminal 708that is farthest from a second terminal 710. Further, the shunt bus 704is connected to the second terminal 710 on a side of the second terminal710 that is closest to the first terminal 708. The shunt bus 704 may beconnected to a substantially planar surface of the second terminal 710.

The shunt bus 704 includes a shunt element 712 positioned a distance 714from the protrusion 702(A). The distance 714 may include a predetermineddistance that is determined from analyzing current flow through theshunt 700, such as a distance that avoids non-uniform current flowthrough the shunt element 712. As such, the shunt element 712 may bedisposed within a predetermined proximity to the protrusion 702(A). Inthis example, current generally flows in through the first terminal 708and out the second terminal 710.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example thermocouple system 800 (e.g.,thermocouple device). The thermocouple system 800 is described in thecontext of implementing the shunt 100 of FIG. 1. However, thethermocouple system 800 may be implemented with other shunts.

The thermocouple system 800 may include one or more hardware components802 electrically connected to the shunt 100 via conductors 804. The oneor more hardware components 802 may be configured to receive signalsfrom the shunt 100 via the conductors 804. The one or more hardwarecomponents 802 may include a connector 806 to interface the conductors804 to the one or more hardware components 802. In the example of FIG.8, the one or more hardware components 802 also include anAnalog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) 808 that converts the signals of theconductors 804 from analog signals into digital signals. The digitaland/or analog signals may be stored in memory 810 and/or sent to one ormore processors 812. The one or more hardware components 802 may use thedigital and/or analog signals to perform a variety of operations, asdiscussed herein. Although the connector 806 and ADC 808 are illustratedin FIG. 8, in some examples such elements may be eliminated. For ease ofdiscussion, a reference to a signal from a conductor will refer to ananalog and/or digital signal associated with the conductor. In manyinstances, the signals from the conductors 804 are relatively small(e.g., in the microvolt level). In such instances, an amplifier or othercomponent is used to amplify the signals. In one example, an amplifieris included as part of the ADC 808. In another example, an amplifier isa separate component.

The conductors 804 may include a sensing conductor 804(A) electricallyconnected to the connection point 116, a reference conductor 804(B) (or804(C)) electrically connected to the connection point 114, and athermocouple conductor 804(C) (or 804(B)) electrically connected to theconnection point 114. The thermocouple conductor 804(C) may be composedof a different material (e.g., conductive material) than the referenceconductor 804(B). As one example, the thermocouple conductor 804(C) maybe composed of constantan, while the reference conductor 804(B) may becomposed of copper. Here, the thermocouple conductor 804(C) and thereference conductor 804(B) form a type-T thermocouple. In otherexamples, other types of conductive materials are used, creatingdifferent types of thermocouples, such as a type E thermocouple(chromel-constantan), type J thermocouple (iron-constantan), type Mthermocouple, type N thermocouple, type B thermocouple, type Rthermocouple, type S thermocouple, tungsten/rhenium-alloy thermocouple,type C thermocouple, type D thermocouple, type G thermocouple,chromel-gold/iron thermocouple, type P thermocouple (noble-metal),platinum/molybdenum-alloy thermocouple, iridium/rhodium alloythermocouple, and so on. The thermocouple conductor 804(C) and thereference conductor 804(B) may be insulated from each other except atthe sensing junction (the connection point 114) and another locationwithin the one or more hardware components 802 (e.g., the opposite end).Thus, the reference conductor 804(B) and the thermocouple conductor804(C) may create a thermocouple, since the two conductors are attachedto the same connection point and/or are composed of different materials.

As noted above, the one or more hardware components 802 are implementedin the context of the one or more processors 812 and the memory 810. Theone or more processors 812 may include a central processing unit (CPU),a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, and so on. Thememory 810 (as well as all other memory described herein) may comprisecomputer-readable media and may take the form of volatile memory, suchas random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as readonly memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Computer-readable media includesvolatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implementedin any method or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data for execution by one or more processors of a computingdevice. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limitedto, phase change memory (PRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM),dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology,compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmissionmedium that can be used to store information for access by a computingdevice. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not includecommunication media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

In the example of FIG. 8, the one or more hardware components 802 areimplemented with a Printed Wiring Board (PWB) or Printed Circuit Board(PCB). In other examples, the one or more hardware components 802 may beimplemented with other electric circuits and/or components.

As noted above, the one or more hardware components may becommunicatively coupled to the conductors 804 to receive signals fromthe conductors 804. The one or more hardware components 802 may use thesignals to facilitate various functionality. In this example, the memory810 includes a thermocouple measurement component 814, a shuntmeasurement component 816, and an alert component 818 to facilitate suchfunctionality. Here, the thermocouple measurement component 814, theshunt measurement component 816, and the alert component 818 areimplemented as software modules that are executable by the one or moreprocessors 812 that are communicatively coupled to the memory 810. Thus,the one or more processors 812 may execute the components 814-818 toperform the described operations. The term “module” is intended torepresent example divisions of software for purposes of discussion, andis not intended to represent any type of requirement or required method,manner or necessary organization. Accordingly, while various “modules”are discussed, their functionality and/or similar functionality could bearranged differently (e.g., combined into a fewer number of modules,broken into a larger number of modules, etc.).

The thermocouple measurement component 814 may be configured to measurea temperature of the shunt 100. As noted above, in many instances acalculation of current through the shunt 100 may be affected by thetemperature of the shunt 100 (e.g., due to temperature changes affectingthe resistance of the shunt 100). The temperature of the shunt 100 maybe affected by meter load (e.g., joule heating), ambient temperature(e.g., environment conditions, such as solar heating), and so on. Thus,the temperature of the shunt 100 may be measured to compensate forinaccuracies of the current measurement facilitated by the shuntmeasurement component 816.

To determine the temperature of the shunt 100, the thermocouplemeasurement component 814 may retrieve a signal of the referenceconductor 804(B) and a signal of the thermocouple conductor 804(C). Thesignals may be retrieved from the memory 810 and/or directly from theshunt 100. Each of the signals may comprise a voltage signal, such as aDirect Current (DC) voltage signal or an Alternating Current (AC)voltage signal. The thermocouple measurement component 814 may comparethe signal from the reference conductor 804(B) to the signal from thethermocouple conductor 804(C) to determine a difference in voltagebetween the two conductors. The thermocouple measurement component 814may also determine a temperature at the one or more hardware components802, such as by using a thermometer or another device located at the oneor more hardware components 802. This temperature may represent thetemperature of the thermocouple at the other end of the thermocouple(e.g., the end opposite the connection point 114). Then, based on thedifference in voltage between the reference conductor 804(B) and thethermocouple conductor 804(C) and the temperature at the one or morehardware components 802, the thermocouple measurement component 814 mayuse a formula to determine the temperature of the shunt 100. The formulamay have been formed when calibrating the thermocouple. The formula mayaccount for the properties of the reference conductor 804(B) and thethermocouple conductor 804(C), such as the material composition of theconductors, the length/width of conductors, etc. The temperature of theshunt 100 represents the temperature at the connection point 114. Thethermocouple measurement component 814 may generate temperature dataindicating the temperature of the shunt 100 and store the temperaturedata in the memory 810 and/or provide the temperature data to the shuntmeasurement component 816 and/or the alert component 818.

The shunt measurement component 816 may be configured to measure anamount of current passing through the shunt 100. In particular, theshunt measurement component 814 may retrieve a signal of the referenceconductor 804(B) and a signal of the sensing conductor 804(A). Thesignals may be retrieved from the memory 810 and/or directly from theshunt 100. Each of the signals may comprise a voltage signal, such as aDC voltage signal or an AC voltage signal. The shunt measurementcomponent 814 may compare the signal of the reference conductor 804(B)to the signal of the sensing conductor 804(A) to determine a voltagedrop across the shunt element 112 (e.g., a voltage difference betweenthe two conductors). Then, based on the voltage drop, and knowing theresistance of the shunt element 112, the shunt measurement component 814may determine the amount of current passing through the shunt element112 based on Ohm's law. The shunt measurement component 816 may generatecurrent data indicating the amount of current passing through the shuntelement 112, store the current data in the memory 810, and/or providethe current data to other components.

In many instances, the shunt measurement component 816 may account for atemperature at the shunt 100. In particular, the shunt measurementcomponent 816 may compensate for a change in resistance of the shunt 100due to a temperature of the shunt 100. For example, the shuntmeasurement component 816 may reference a temperature curve or othercriteria that specifies a relationship between temperature andcurrent/resistance. The shunt measurement component 816 may use thetemperature curve or other criteria to adjust the current data that isbased on the voltage drop across the shunt element 112 (e.g., thevoltage difference between the signal from the reference conductor804(B) and the signal from the sensing conductor 804(A)).

As such, the thermocouple measurement component 814 and the shuntmeasurement component 816 may share a conductor. That is, thethermocouple measurement component 814 may use a signal from thereference conductor 804(B) to determine a temperature of the shunt, andthe shunt measurement component 816 may use a signal from the referenceconductor 804(B) to determine current passing through the shunt 100.

The alert component 818 may be configured to provide an alert regardinga temperature of a conductive path into which the shunt 100 isconnected. For example, the alert component 818 may retrieve thetemperature of the shunt 100 from the memory 810 and/or the thermocouplemeasurement component 814. The temperature of the shunt 100 may indicate(e.g., correspond to) the temperature of the conductive path into whichthe shunt 100 is connected (e.g., a meter socket). The alert component818 may determine whether or not the temperature of the conductive path(e.g., a meter socket) is greater than a threshold. When the temperatureis greater than the threshold, this indicates that the conductive pathis overheating (e.g., a hot socket condition). In some instances, theconductive path may overheat when the shunt is being installed/replacedand/or when a socket includes loose jaws.

In any event, when the temperature of the conductive path is greaterthan the threshold, the alert component 818 may send an alert indicatingthat the temperature of the conductive path is greater than thethreshold. The alert may be sent to a service provider computing deviceassociated with a utility (e.g., a central office for the utility), acomputing device associated with a technician (e.g., performingmaintenance on the meter), a computing device associated with a customeremploying the meter, etc. A party that receives the alert may disconnectthe shunt 100, open a circuit path through the shunt 100 (e.g., flip aswitch to stop current flow), and/or perform other actions. In someinstances, the alert may be sent while a party is located at the shunt100, such as while a technician is performing maintenance on a meter(e.g., changing out the meter).

Although the techniques discussed above include the alert component 818sending an alert, in some instances the alert component 818 may send aninstruction or otherwise cause an action to be automatically performed.For example, if the temperature of the conductive path is greater than athreshold, the alert component 818 may automatically interrupt (e.g.,break) the conductive path through the shunt 100 (e.g., cause the switchto open the circuit).

Further, although the example of FIG. 8 illustrates the one or morehardware components 802 being implemented in the context of the one ormore processors 812 and the memory 810, the one or more hardwarecomponents 802 may be implemented as other components. For instance, theone or more hardware components 802 may be implemented as one or moreField-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs),System-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices(CPLDs), etc. As such, the operations that are described as beingimplemented by the thermocouple measurement component 814, the shuntmeasurement component 816, and/or the alert component 818 on the one ormore processors 812, may be implemented in whole or in part by FPGAs,ASICs, ASSPs, SOCs, CPLDs, etc.

Further, the one or more hardware components 802 may additionally, oralternatively, include a network interface and a radio (not illustratedin FIG. 8). The network interface may communicate via a wired orwireless network. The alert component 818 may send alerts regardingtemperature via the network interface and/or the radio. The radio maycomprise an RF transceiver configured to transmit and/or receive RFsignals via one or more of a plurality of channels/frequencies. Theradio may be configured to communicate using a plurality of differentmodulation techniques, data rates, protocols, signal strengths, and/orpower levels. The radio includes an antenna coupled to an RF front endand a baseband processor. The RF front end may provide transmittingand/or receiving functions. The RF front end may include high-frequencyanalog and/or hardware components that provide functionality, such astuning and/or attenuating signals provided by the antenna. The RF frontend may provide a signal to the baseband processor.

In one example, all or part of the baseband processor may be configuredas a software (SW) defined radio. In one implementation, the basebandprocessor provides frequency and/or channel selection functionality tothe radio. For example, the SW defined radio may include mixers,filters, amplifiers, modulators and/or demodulators, detectors, etc.,implemented in software executed by a processor, ASIC, or other embeddedcomputing device(s). The SW defined radio may utilize processor(s) andsoftware defined and/or stored in the memory 810. Alternatively, oradditionally, the radio may be implemented at least in part using analogcomponents.

Moreover, the memory 810 may include other types of components. Forexample, the memory 810 may store a metrology component configured tocollect consumption data of one or more resources (e.g., electricity,water, natural gas, etc.). The consumption data may include, forexample, electricity consumption data, water consumption data, and/ornatural gas consumption data. The consumption data may include datagenerated at a node where the shunt 100 is implemented (e.g., a meter),another node (e.g., another meter or utility node), or a combinationthereof. The collected consumption data may be transmitted to a datacollector in the case of a star network or, in the case of a meshnetwork, to one or more other nodes for eventual propagation to aservice provider computing device associated with a utility or anotherdestination.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an example meter 900 with shunts 902 and 904located within the meter 900. FIG. 9A shows a perspective view of a sideof the meter 900 that attaches to a meter socket. In particular, theportions of the shunts 902 and 904 that are exposed in FIG. 9A mayconnect to the meter socket. In particular, terminals 902(A) and 902(D)of shunt 902 may connect to jaws of a socket (e.g., a conductive path)and terminals 904(A) and 904(B) of shunt 904 may connect to the jaws ofthe socket. Meanwhile, FIG. 9B shows a cross-sectional view of the meter900 with the shunt 902.

The meter 900 includes a housing 906 that encloses at least a portion ofthe shunts 902 and 904, one or more hardware components 908, andconductors 910. As such, the housing may enclose a shunt and athermocouple device. The housing 906 may also include tabs 912 that maybe used to assist in connecting the meter 900 to the meter socket. Theconductors 910 may connect the shunt 902 to the one or more hardwarecomponents 908. Although the shunt 904 is not shown in FIG. 9B, theshunt 904 may also be connected to the one or more hardware components908. The conductors 910 may include a reference conductor, sensingconductor, and thermocouple conductor. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, theshunt 902 includes a terminal 902(A), a shunt bus 902(B), a switch902(C), and another terminal 902(D). Current may flow in a left-to-rightmanner with respect to FIG. 9B.

FIG. 10A illustrates current flow lines for a shunt in related art.Here, the shunt 1000 includes a single U-shaped piece that is upsidedown. Current may enter the shunt at an end 1002 and exit the shunt atan end 1004. The vertical and horizontal lines represent current flowlines of equipotential. As illustrated, the current flow lines atcorners 1006 of the shunt 1000 are non-symmetrical and non-uniform dueto the 90-degree bend in the shunt 1000. That is, the current flow linesare wider apart at outside edges 1006(A) in comparison to inner edges1006(B) of the corners 1006 and/or the current flow lines are curved.This leads to inaccurate current measurements in a measurement region1008, where the shunt element is located. As the shunt element ispositioned closer to a corner, the inaccuracy of the current measurementmay increase.

FIG. 10B illustrates current flow lines for an example shunt 1010described herein, such as the shunt 100 of FIG. 1. For ease ofillustration, the shunt 1010 is represented as a shunt bus withoutterminals. As such, the shunt 1010 will be referred to as the shunt bus1010. Here, current may enter the shunt bus 1010 at a conductive channel1012 and exit the shunt bus 1010 at a conductive channel 1014. Thevertical lines represent current flow lines of equipotential. Asillustrated, due at least in part to the conductive channel 1012, thecurrent flow lines are uniform and symmetrical at a measurement region1016, where a shunt element is located. This leads to accurate currentmeasurements for the shunt 1010

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process 1100 for employing the techniquesdescribed herein. In particular, the process 1100 is implemented todetermine temperature of a shunt, determine current flowing through theshunt, and send an alert regarding temperature of the shunt. For ease ofillustration, the process 1100 is described as being performed in thecontext of FIG. 8. For example, one or more of the individual operationsof the process 1100 may be performed by the one or more hardwarecomponents 802. However, the process 1100 may be performed in othercontexts.

The process 1100 (as well as each process described herein) areillustrated as a logical flow graph, each operation of which representsa sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, software,or a combination thereof. In the context of software, the operationsrepresent computer-executable instructions stored on one or morecomputer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the process. Further, anynumber of the individual operations may be omitted.

At 1102, the one or more hardware components 802 may receive signalsassociated with conductors that are connected to a shunt. For example,the conductors may include a reference conductor, a sensing conductor,and a thermocouple conductor.

At 1104, the one or more hardware components 802 may determine atemperature of the shunt based at least in part on a signal of thereference conductor and a signal of the thermocouple conductor.

At 1106, the one or more hardware components 802 may determine an amountof current flowing through the shunt based at least in part on a signalof the reference conductor and a signal of the sensing conductor. Theone or more hardware components 802 may also use a temperature of theshunt to compensate for inaccuracies due to temperature. In someinstances, the compensation is applied after an initial currentmeasurement is determined. In other instances, the initial determinationof the amount of current accounts for the temperature of the shunt.

At 1108, the one or more hardware components 802 may determine that atemperature of a conductive path into which the shunt is connected isgreater than a threshold. That is, the one or more hardware components802 may determine that the temperature of the shunt is greater than thethreshold.

At 1110, the one or more hardware components 802 may send an alertindicating that the temperature is greater than the threshold. The alertmay be sent to any entity, such as a customer, service providercomputing device at a utility, a technician, and so on.

CONCLUSION

Although embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific featuresor acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosedherein as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A meter comprising: a housing enclosing at leasta portion of a shunt and at least a portion of one or more hardwarecomponents; the shunt including a shunt bus and a shunt element disposedalong the shunt bus, the shunt having a first connection point locatedalong the shunt bus on a first side of the shunt element and a secondconnection point located along the shunt bus on a second side of theshunt element; a reference conductor electrically connected to the firstconnection point; a sensing conductor electrically connected to thesecond connection point; a thermocouple conductor electrically connectedto the first connection point to create a thermocouple with thereference conductor, the thermocouple conductor being composed of adifferent material than the reference conductor; and the one or morehardware components communicatively coupled to at least one of thereference conductor, the sensing conductor, or the thermocoupleconductor, the one or more hardware components being configured to:determine a temperature of the shunt based at least in part on a signalfrom the reference conductor and a signal from the thermocoupleconductor; and determine an amount of current passing through the shuntelement based at least in part on the signal from the referenceconductor, a signal from the sensing conductor, and the temperature ofthe shunt.
 2. The meter of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardwarecomponents are further configured to: based at least in part on thetemperature of the shunt, determine that a temperature of a socket intowhich the shunt is connected is greater than a threshold; and send analert indicating that the temperature of the socket is greater than thethreshold.
 3. The meter of claim 2, wherein the one or more hardwarecomponents are configured to send the alert to at least one of a serviceprovider computing device associated with a utility, a computing deviceassociated with a technician, or a computing device associated with acustomer employing the meter.
 4. The meter of claim 1, wherein thesignal from the reference conductor, the signal from the sensingconductor, and the signal from the thermocouple conductor each comprisea voltage signal.
 5. The meter of claim 1, wherein the one or morehardware components are configured to determine the amount of currentpassing through the shunt element by: based at least in part on thesignal from the reference conductor and the signal from the sensingconductor, determining current data indicating an amount of currentpassing through the shunt element; and compensating for a change inresistance of the shunt element due to the temperature of the shunt, thecompensating including adjusting the current data based at least in parton the temperature of the shunt.
 6. The meter of claim 7, wherein thefirst connection point is disposed on the shunt bus on the first side ofthe shunt element and the second connection point is disposed on theshunt bus on the second side of the shunt element.
 7. A systemcomprising: a first conductor electrically connected to a firstconnection point located on a first side of a shunt element; a secondconductor electrically connected to a second connection point located ona second side of the shunt element; a third conductor electricallyconnected to the first connection point, the third conductor beingcomposed of a different material than the first conductor; and one ormore hardware components configured to: determine a temperature of theshunt element based at least in part on a signal from the firstconductor and a signal from the third conductor; and determine an amountof current passing through the shunt element based at least in part onthe signal from the first conductor, a signal from the second conductor,and the temperature of the shunt element.
 8. The system of claim 7,further comprising: a shunt bus that includes the shunt element, thefirst connection point being disposed on the shunt bus on the first sideof the shunt element and the second connection point being disposed onthe shunt bus on the second side of the shunt element.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein a path of current through the shunt element defines afirst direction and at least one of the first connection point or thesecond connection point is positioned in substantially a center of theshunt bus in a second direction that is perpendicular to the firstdirection.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more hardwarecomponents are configured to: based at least in part on the temperatureof the shunt element, determine that a temperature of a conductive pathinto which the shunt is connected is greater than a threshold; and sendan alert indicating that the temperature of the conductive path isgreater than the threshold.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the oneor more hardware components are configured to send the alert to at leastone of a service provider computing device associated with a utility, acomputing device associated with a technician, or a computing deviceassociated with a customer.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the oneor more hardware components are configured to determine the amount ofcurrent passing through the shunt element by: based at least in part onthe signal from the first conductor and the signal from the secondconductor, determining current data indicating an amount of currentpassing through the shunt element; and adjusting the current data basedat least in part on the temperature of the shunt.
 13. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the one or more hardware components are configured todetermine the temperature of the shunt based at least in part on acomparison of the signal from the first conductor to the signal from thethird conductor.
 14. A thermocouple device comprising: a referenceconductor electrically connected to a first side of a shunt; a sensingconductor electrically connected to a second side of the shunt; athermocouple conductor electrically connected to the first side of theshunt to create a thermocouple with the reference conductor, thethermocouple conductor being composed of a different material than thereference conductor; a thermocouple measurement component configured toprovide temperature data regarding the shunt to a shunt measurementcomponent based at least in part on a signal from the referenceconductor and a signal from the thermocouple conductor; and the shuntmeasurement component configured to determine an amount of currentpassing through the shunt based at least in part on the signal from thereference conductor, a signal from the sensing conductor, and thetemperature data.
 15. The thermocouple device of claim 14, furthercomprising: an alert component communicatively coupled to thethermocouple measurement component and configured to, based at least inpart on the temperature data, determine that a temperature of aconductive path into which the shunt is connected is greater than athreshold.
 16. The thermocouple device of claim 15, wherein the alertcomponent is configured to send an alert indicating that the temperatureof the conductive path is greater than the threshold, the alert beingsent to at least one of a service provider computing device associatedwith a utility, a computing device associated with a technician, or acomputing device associated with a customer.
 17. The thermocouple deviceof claim 15, wherein the alert component is configured to, based atleast in part on determining that the temperature of the conductive pathis greater than the threshold, cause the conductive path to beinterrupted.
 18. The thermocouple device of claim 14, wherein the shuntmeasurement component is configured to determine the amount of currentpassing through the shunt by: based at least in part on the signal fromthe reference conductor and the signal from the sensing conductor,determining current data indicating an amount of current passing throughthe shunt; and updating the current data based at least in part on thetemperature data.
 19. A meter comprising: the thermocouple device ofclaim 14; the shunt connected to the thermocouple device; and a housingenclosing at least a portion of the shunt.
 20. The thermocouple deviceof claim 14, wherein the signal from the reference conductor, the signalfrom the sensing conductor, and the signal from the thermocoupleconductor each comprise a voltage signal.